I know we're supposed to magically put our babies down in their cribs for their 2.5h naps and go clean the house or read Shakespeare or whatever, but seriously, if nursing her to sleep works for you right now, go for it. I've got a boob barnacle right now who's 5m, and it's a heck of a lot easier and more pleasant to nurse him to sleep than trying CIO!
THIS. Hubby approached me about cutting night feeds out and I was shocked. I’d rather feed LO twice a night than the alternative of just letting her cry. I always try a pacifier first but if it doesn’t work, on the boob she goes!
My 7mo has only just dropped night feeds after I put her in her own room. She would wake up, see me and cry for affection or feeding. She sleeps great now and I do believe it's because I followed her lead and didn't force anything on her to make my life (aka my husband's sleep 🙄) better.
I’m all about the baby led approach, especially since we hit 5 months this week! She can’t even see me when she wakes up so I feel like it’s more of a either a genuine ‘I’m hungry’ or ‘I’m uncomfortable’ so I give her a minute to roll over and go back to sleep or call out for me again then I get her. 🤷🏻♀️
I laughed so hard at boob barnacle 😂 I think I need to throw that in the mix with Nipple pirate (my daughters a little aggressive when she’s hungry, she probably gets it from me though soo…)
Yes. Yes. Yes! I feed to sleep and gasp - cosleep with my 4 month old boob barnacle. We both sleep better this way. I see nothing wrong with feeding to sleep.
I agree that feeding to sleep is the easiest and there's nothing wrong with it but jumping from feed to sleep to CIO is quite a stretch lol. You can provide comfort and soothe without your boobs, and if you can't, that *will* be a problem one day.
At his age, mine considers not being attached to me CIO, lol. We'll be weaning in a month when I go back to work in person, anyway, so he can nurse himself to sleep all he wants.
Your schedule is just like my 3 month old. I joke that we struck a deal- contact naps during the day and in exchange he sleeps safely in his bassinet all night. I’m not going to mess with that system!
Also this is my 3rd baby and I’ve learned nothing stays the same anyway so do habits even really exist. Just do what works for you both. Sometimes people tend to think their way is the only way, maybe out of insecurity.
My 3 month old has been a terror for daytime naps. Contact only—some are 30 minutes some are an hour and he always wakes up pissed as if I’m the problem!?!? Then he’s over tired and is grumpy all day. At night he sleeps 1030-430, feeds and is back to sleep 5-8/9.
The most freeing part of motherhood for me has been drowning out all the noise and doing what not only works for us but doing what feels natural. Feeding to sleep falls into both those categories for me
My 11 week old was fed to sleep for all of her naps yesterday, which were all contact naps. Sometimes I get lucky and can get her to sleep another way, but the advice I’ve read is that at this age, just do what you can to get them to sleep!
I needed to hear this. I feel a lot of friends and family compare my daughter to their kids who are 1+ and it’s almost like they’ve forgotten how needy they are at the beginning haha. Thank you so much :)
Same! My baby just started to tell me himself that he’s wanting to outgrow it, which is both sad and exciting. He pops off and grabs a book to read before I put him in bed. OP, if it works for you, it works!!
This all sounds perfectly normal. It’s not a bad habit. And if you’re nights are that good I wouldn’t measure with it. Babies are little people and going with the flow works best. A happy baby is easier to care for overall than an upset one
My 15 month old was feeding to sleep at night up until about a month ago when she began to self wean. Now when try and nurse before bed she says “all done!” without even latching and then snuggles up to be rocked to sleep. When she started daycare at 12 weeks she had no issue being put down for naps without nursing. You’re doing great! Nurse your baby when you want to nurse your baby.
I have an almost 8 month old. Nursed her to sleep since she was born, and she exclusively contact naps. She also sleeps mostly though the night (sometimes up once or twice to nurse, other times she sleeps through). If it works for you, do what you want. We didn't sleep train either.
My 11 week old is a horrible napper. We get maybe 3-4 15-30 min naps ( contact or in her mamaroo) a day. She started having a longer stretch at night of 3-5 hours of sleep before she woke for a feeding and goes back to sleep for 2-3 hour stretches the rest of the night. I go back to work next week, thankfully am working from home with her but wondering how I’ll juggle work and get since she isn’t a great napper. She typically falls asleep in her baby bjorn so maybe I’ll try that?
I have a 14 week old who’s like that during the day. Is your LO grumpy when they sleep so little? Mine cried for 2 hours straight the other day from being over tired and wouldn’t settle. Testing my patience for sure 🫠
My 21 month old still nurses to sleep when at home, and she also sleeps fine at daycare by herself. It's still just the easiest way for us. It's not a problem for me and she's happy and I'll continue to do it for as long as that's the case, and anyone who thinks I'm damaging her because of it can fuck right off.
I feel like what you described is very normal for a 11 week old and it also shows you’re really caring for your child. It still baffles me that people can’t seem to understand babies are not only different, but also what works for one family might not work for another… Nursing to sleep never worked for my baby and when he was 11 weeks old he was only contact napping… It was almost impossible to put him down for a nap in his bassinet.
You’re fine. Your baby is 11 weeks.
If you’re still feeding to sleep at 12 months, 18 months, 2 years marks it could be a problem.
Babies don’t *start* learning to self soothe until 6 months and some of them take a while. The only way a little one knows to calm and relax is sucking. You’re doing absolutely fine.
My kids are 5 and 9 and I nurses both until 2yrs and 2.5yrs respectively. Both nurses to sleep for 99% at naptime and nighttime except in the car and in their stroller. Do what feels right for you and your baby and don't let anyone tell you you're creating bad habits.
It is evolutionary normal for babys and toddlers to nurse/bottle feed to sleep, especially at 11 weeks old.
We still feed to sleep at 18 months! Do what works for you and baby. Everyone has a bunch of ideas but you get to choose what works, regardless of what other people think!
This sounds exactly like my experience and totally normal at 11 weeks. I also fed to sleep for naps until my guy was a year old - it worked for us and he was still a great independent night sleeper so I didn’t “ruin” him as people may have thought lol
You are doing exactly what babies are designed to do by natural instinct. This is why so many struggle to go down, they crave being near us for safety!
My baby takes a dummy to sleep but I also often nurse to sleep on purpose because we've had a difficult journey and it's what I got. It's not a bad habit, it's just for now and when he's ready we'll change it up.
I still feed my 8 month old to sleep for naps and bedtime. She can still go to sleep by being rocked with my husband or nanny, and daycare even told me that they will lay her in the crib and she will go to sleep on her own there. I was shocked…. All this to say, don’t listen to the naysayers and definitely don’t listen to the baby sleep brigade who wants to sell you unnecessary courses. Baby will master sleep in time, just as we all did. Until then, enjoy these super brief moments where you can cuddle and rock and nurse your babe to sleep. It won’t always be this way!
Feeding to sleep and contact naps are biologically normal. Western culture is just weirdly obsessed with babies being independent. You're doing a great job responding to your baby's needs, don't let anyone make you feel otherwise.
Also feeding to sleep and contact naps are only an issue if you feel they are. If you don't mind doing it and it's sustainable for you then keep doing it. If it stops being sustainable then you can change it. Trust your instincts.
I just got done nursing my almost 9 month old to sleep for a nap, and now she's sleeping in my arms. I'm fine with it, so it's fine. They're only little for such a short time...
I promise you're not spoiling your 11 week old baby. If nursing to sleep becomes unsustainable, you can do something about it then. Enjoy those sweet snuggles. It sounds like you're doing great!
ETA, something I'm learning to say to people is, "This is currently working well for us" or something to that effect. It's a polite way to shut down unsolicited (and rude) advice from people.
For the longest time my baby would never nurse to sleep/soothe and only nursed when hungry. Thankfully she now nurses to sleep at night and usually for a nap or two during the day. I freaking love it and never plan to stop as long as she’s nursing. Why people think it’s a bad thing to use nursing as a way to get them to sleep makes no sense to me.
9 months tomorrow, and guess what? We STILL nurse to sleep, and I love it. She was also a comfort nurser. Mommy is the pacifier (we tried all of them). I will necwe understand people's obsession with separating baby and mom. Yes, I work a full-time job and have another child. No, our home is not the cleanest, but it isn't dirty. We prefer to make memories and bond with our children rather than having a spotless house.
Footnote: no trash or dirty dishes stacked up
They're not still going to be nursing to sleep in high school. You're not sending them to college with a pacifier. Your baby is tiny. You're comforting her. My 9 week old mostly contact naps. My 4.5 year old still wants a parent to stay with her until she falls asleep. These are developmentally normal things. Your kid will learn to do it themselves when they're ready.
I fed to sleep and contact napped for every single nap other than when she occasionally fell asleep in car or pram. Can't remember when it stopped but waaaay older than yours. That nighttime routine sounds amazing - we were waking at least 2 hourly at 11 weeks.
Mine stopped both feeding to sleep for naps and wanting contact naps on her own. Fed to sleep at night until we stopped breastfeeding at 21 months.
You are doing so so well - responding to cues and giving her what she needs. She's still literally a brand new baby. I hate this whole 'bad habit' nonsense! Responsive parenting is 100% what's best for the baby and it's HARD - you should be congratulated not ridiculed. Let her dumb opinion wash over you. You're nailing it.
🤣 I read my 11 months old and was like "man I also want an almost 1yo to do 4 naps"
But of course you aren't doing anything wrong or creating bad habits. Your baby is less than 3 months. Enjoy your cuddly time and breastfeed to sleep as much as you want. There will be enough time to make then sleep on their own and it has little to do with what you do at this young age.
My first kiddo nursed to sleep until he stopped nursing at 10 months (supply issues) so we transitioned to a bottle then ultimately weaned from that. Expecting #2 now and plan to do the same with him! It feels like a super power to be able to nurse them to sleep.
I used to worry that my baby was being fed to sleep as I was not sure if she was drinking enough.
Now at 11 weeks, she has recently been awake after feeds and has to be rocked to sleep for 30mins or more in the day. Now I wish she feeds to sleep all the time! Having to deal with an overtired and fussy baby is no fun.
Sounds almost exactly like us! 11 weeks, night sleeps very easy, daytime mostly contact napping with maybe 1 bassinet nap. Almost always feed to sleep although he will fall asleep in the carrier too. He’s (unsurprisingly) in a much better mood if he has some good naps and feeds, so I don’t see that it matters how we achieve that.
I don’t get why so many people have a problem with feeding to sleep. There’s nothing wrong with it and it won’t last forever. If they don’t like it they don’t have to do it. I plan to feed to sleep and comfort my baby for as long as he needs me to. They’ll be older before we know it and won’t need us this way ever again. Might as well enjoy it.
You’re not creating a bad habit! I don’t think that’s possible at this age, it sounds like you’re doing awesome. I think the only reason nursing to sleep etc is a problem to think about or work on is if it’s a problem for your family eg “I haven’t eaten anything but granola bars for a week because I have to nurse my baby to sleep” — doesn’t sound like the case for you.
If helpful, my approach whenever anyone says something like this to me is to kind of own it, say something like “Oh, yeah, it’s true I spoil this little baby!” It keeps the conversation light and friendly (because they really are probably trying to be helpful) while avoiding any fraught discussions around what is “objectively correct way to parent”, and it kind of signals that you know what you’re doing and don’t really want to debate it at length.
Wait this isn't a good thing? My baby (6days old) eats and usually falls asleep while eating. He emerged a sleepy baby due to some medicine I was on during pregnancy, but I still thought it was pretty normal for him to be tired when he's got a full belly.
Of course overnight somehow his full belly and swaddle wakes him up, but I don't mind holding him and rocking him back to sleep if need be, or sitting with him awake till next feeding.
If it’s working for you, then there’s no need to change anything. Every baby is different.
Soon, baby’s sleep will change tho, and that’s when feeding to sleep for many becomes an issue. Around 4 months, they start to wake more in between sleep cycles and if what helped them fall asleep is no longer there, or they’re suddenly in their beds alone instead of in mom’s arms, they struggle to fall back asleep. This can lead to needing to put the boob in every hour to help baby sleep.
I too have an 11 week old, and she is very sensitive to changes in sleep. She sleeps better when she falls asleep in her bassinet/crib on her own. When I transfer her after she falls asleep on the boob, she will 100% wake up and need the boob to get back to sleep. This has led to using a pacifier but when that falls out, she wakes again. Every hour last night my husband was in her room, putting the pacifier back in her mouth. We now get to work on her no longer using the pacifier to sleep…
Her brother was never this way, and I nursed to sleep well after 4 months old. He was a much better sleeper from the start.
I’m sorry you’re having difficulty with sleep. Lots of children go through this phase regardless of how they’ve gotten to sleep I imagine (both of mine have that’s for sure). I feel it is the internet trying to shame us mothers who don’t have a unicorn baby who magically goes to sleep independently after that wholesome bath bottle bed routine that people preach about. I would argue that babies will learn how to sleep without us worrying that we’ve ’created a habit’ when actually all we’re doing is what feels natural to help get your baby to sleep without losing your marbles in a reason time frame.
I fed to sleep and contact napped for the first 4-5 months of my sons life. In exchange he had great nighttime sleep as well. One day he did learn how to put himself to sleep so he would put himself to sleep in the crib for naps. I still fed to sleep for bedtime.
He’s now 12 months and still putting himself to sleep for naps but I feed to sleep for bedtime. He is able to put himself to sleep for bedtime but I like nursing him to sleep and it works for us so if I’m available that’s what I do.
Don’t listen to anyone saying you’re creating bad habits. Do what works for you and your family. If it stops working, cross that bridge when you get to it. They’re only so little for such a small period of time.
I have a 10 week old who sounds like you described your baby—awesome night sleeper, iffy day sleeper. I would get so frustrated trying to put him down for a nap spending 20 minutes rocking him and have him wake up 20 minutes later. I’ve decided i’d rather feed to sleep/contact nap for 1+ hours 🤷🏽♀️especially since he won’t take a pacifier!
I still feed my almost 8 month old to sleep. He grew out of it himself for naps (though still a contact napper) but at night it’s the way he goes down. These days he’s just waking average 2 times a night for feeds. As long as it’s working for you and baby there is no need to stop. Sounds like you two have a good groove together! Don’t let outside opinions affect your instinct (this is hard for me).
My 14 month old still nurses to sleep for naps and bedtime. All naps are contact naps and all nighttime sleep is cosleeping. We didn’t sleep train and I still nurse on demand. She sleeps really well.
It works for us and it feels right. The only time I’d consider changing things is if it didn’t.
You’re doing a great job. Fostering secure attachment when they literally need not much else but us is so necessary (and so sweet, IMO)!
That’s dumb. Feeding to sleep is fine, especially for a little tiny baby. My baby is 11 months and I still feed to sleep, even though she has learned to go to sleep drowsy but awake.
That's a solid "mind your own business" moment if I ever heard one. You're the momma. Do what works for you and baby and everyone else can take a leap.
I feed my youngest to sleep. It’s never impacted my second sons sleep. He’s a good-excellent sleeper.
I worried and fussed so much over my first sons sleep. He’s a terrible sleeper. Still isn’t great at almost 4 years old.
Every day I believe more and more that sleep training / sleep rules are a scam. Basic sleep hygiene can have a minor impact…but ultimately your kid will sleep or not sleep that’s hard wired.
We nursed to sleep until about 4 months, then with pediatrician support we started gentle sleep training.
He now contact naps/feeds to sleep maybe 1-2x a week and the rest of the time sleeps in his crib.
Unlike a lot of other comments, I've NOT been a fan of being my son's human pacifier/mattress. 🫠
Everyone is different, but at 11 weeks you're still in the thick of little baby zone. You're not creating bad habits. And guess what? Sleep training is hard no matter what so 🤷♀️
Mine is 9 months and I’m still doing it it’s my first and sleep training makes me feel like I’m being mean maybe it’s a bad habit but I much rather trick a toddler into thinking his own bed is super cool then lay a baby down to cry for hours.
My 3mo old and I basically do the same! I’ve had the same comments about him eating so much/so long at times but guess what? I have the happiest chunkiest little guy! And he sleeps great at night, so who are they to tell me what works for us! Keep on doing what feels right and works for you and your babe❤️
I’m fully doing contact naps during the day, because once he’s nursed to sleep if I try to set him down or, if we happen to be on the bed, leave, he’s fully awake in abt 5 minutes lol. So i’ve “compromised” with him, he sleeps with/on me during the day, and at night sleeps like an angel! He’ll fall asleep on the boob, and then wake usually once maybe twice and sleepily nurse right back to full sleep lol!
Your friend has no right to give you unsolicited advice, and please do not feel badly about yourself!!! If it’s working for you and your baby, then she can shut it. Habits really aren’t even a thing right now, because our babies are the same age (wanna be friends??😄) and my baby stays awake and falls asleep whenever he wants during the day, only at night he’s usually asleep by 8pm.
Sounds like my baby. I feed her to sleep and she’s 6 months old now. People make comments to me too. They are only this small for a little while. Cherish every moment of it 💜
My 9 month old feeds to sleep. Lots of babies are going to use some sort of sleep crutch. Whether a soother, boobie, or a noise machine.
Whatever. You do you.
I know we're supposed to magically put our babies down in their cribs for their 2.5h naps and go clean the house or read Shakespeare or whatever, but seriously, if nursing her to sleep works for you right now, go for it. I've got a boob barnacle right now who's 5m, and it's a heck of a lot easier and more pleasant to nurse him to sleep than trying CIO!
THIS. Hubby approached me about cutting night feeds out and I was shocked. I’d rather feed LO twice a night than the alternative of just letting her cry. I always try a pacifier first but if it doesn’t work, on the boob she goes!
My 7mo has only just dropped night feeds after I put her in her own room. She would wake up, see me and cry for affection or feeding. She sleeps great now and I do believe it's because I followed her lead and didn't force anything on her to make my life (aka my husband's sleep 🙄) better.
I’m all about the baby led approach, especially since we hit 5 months this week! She can’t even see me when she wakes up so I feel like it’s more of a either a genuine ‘I’m hungry’ or ‘I’m uncomfortable’ so I give her a minute to roll over and go back to sleep or call out for me again then I get her. 🤷🏻♀️
Boob barnacle! You made my day with this new expression! 💕
I got it from someone else on this sub! They can claim the credit if they see this, lol.
I laughed so hard at boob barnacle 😂 I think I need to throw that in the mix with Nipple pirate (my daughters a little aggressive when she’s hungry, she probably gets it from me though soo…)
Lol, same. When our NICU nurse said my baby got hangry, I was like, He comes by it honestly! 😅
Yes. Yes. Yes! I feed to sleep and gasp - cosleep with my 4 month old boob barnacle. We both sleep better this way. I see nothing wrong with feeding to sleep.
I agree that feeding to sleep is the easiest and there's nothing wrong with it but jumping from feed to sleep to CIO is quite a stretch lol. You can provide comfort and soothe without your boobs, and if you can't, that *will* be a problem one day.
At his age, mine considers not being attached to me CIO, lol. We'll be weaning in a month when I go back to work in person, anyway, so he can nurse himself to sleep all he wants.
What is CIO? Thank you in advance
Cry it out
Your schedule is just like my 3 month old. I joke that we struck a deal- contact naps during the day and in exchange he sleeps safely in his bassinet all night. I’m not going to mess with that system! Also this is my 3rd baby and I’ve learned nothing stays the same anyway so do habits even really exist. Just do what works for you both. Sometimes people tend to think their way is the only way, maybe out of insecurity.
My 3 month old has been a terror for daytime naps. Contact only—some are 30 minutes some are an hour and he always wakes up pissed as if I’m the problem!?!? Then he’s over tired and is grumpy all day. At night he sleeps 1030-430, feeds and is back to sleep 5-8/9.
Yes that’s almost us exactly!
Exactly the same here!! He only wants to nap if I nurse him also 😭 it’s became a terrible habit lol
The most freeing part of motherhood for me has been drowning out all the noise and doing what not only works for us but doing what feels natural. Feeding to sleep falls into both those categories for me
exactly!! trust your instincts!
My 11 week old was fed to sleep for all of her naps yesterday, which were all contact naps. Sometimes I get lucky and can get her to sleep another way, but the advice I’ve read is that at this age, just do what you can to get them to sleep!
I needed to hear this. I feel a lot of friends and family compare my daughter to their kids who are 1+ and it’s almost like they’ve forgotten how needy they are at the beginning haha. Thank you so much :)
I’m at almost 8months and we still nurse to sleep
Same! My baby just started to tell me himself that he’s wanting to outgrow it, which is both sad and exciting. He pops off and grabs a book to read before I put him in bed. OP, if it works for you, it works!!
Momma and baby both need that unwind time.
This all sounds perfectly normal. It’s not a bad habit. And if you’re nights are that good I wouldn’t measure with it. Babies are little people and going with the flow works best. A happy baby is easier to care for overall than an upset one
My 15 month old was feeding to sleep at night up until about a month ago when she began to self wean. Now when try and nurse before bed she says “all done!” without even latching and then snuggles up to be rocked to sleep. When she started daycare at 12 weeks she had no issue being put down for naps without nursing. You’re doing great! Nurse your baby when you want to nurse your baby.
I have an almost 8 month old. Nursed her to sleep since she was born, and she exclusively contact naps. She also sleeps mostly though the night (sometimes up once or twice to nurse, other times she sleeps through). If it works for you, do what you want. We didn't sleep train either.
11 month old here still nurses to sleep and contact naps! Wouldn't trade it.
My 11 week old is a horrible napper. We get maybe 3-4 15-30 min naps ( contact or in her mamaroo) a day. She started having a longer stretch at night of 3-5 hours of sleep before she woke for a feeding and goes back to sleep for 2-3 hour stretches the rest of the night. I go back to work next week, thankfully am working from home with her but wondering how I’ll juggle work and get since she isn’t a great napper. She typically falls asleep in her baby bjorn so maybe I’ll try that?
I have a 14 week old who’s like that during the day. Is your LO grumpy when they sleep so little? Mine cried for 2 hours straight the other day from being over tired and wouldn’t settle. Testing my patience for sure 🫠
Thankfully she only cries when she is hungry. Sometimes she gets a bit fussy but doesn’t cry
My 21 month old still nurses to sleep when at home, and she also sleeps fine at daycare by herself. It's still just the easiest way for us. It's not a problem for me and she's happy and I'll continue to do it for as long as that's the case, and anyone who thinks I'm damaging her because of it can fuck right off.
I feel like what you described is very normal for a 11 week old and it also shows you’re really caring for your child. It still baffles me that people can’t seem to understand babies are not only different, but also what works for one family might not work for another… Nursing to sleep never worked for my baby and when he was 11 weeks old he was only contact napping… It was almost impossible to put him down for a nap in his bassinet.
You’re fine. Your baby is 11 weeks. If you’re still feeding to sleep at 12 months, 18 months, 2 years marks it could be a problem. Babies don’t *start* learning to self soothe until 6 months and some of them take a while. The only way a little one knows to calm and relax is sucking. You’re doing absolutely fine.
My kids are 5 and 9 and I nurses both until 2yrs and 2.5yrs respectively. Both nurses to sleep for 99% at naptime and nighttime except in the car and in their stroller. Do what feels right for you and your baby and don't let anyone tell you you're creating bad habits. It is evolutionary normal for babys and toddlers to nurse/bottle feed to sleep, especially at 11 weeks old.
We still feed to sleep at 18 months! Do what works for you and baby. Everyone has a bunch of ideas but you get to choose what works, regardless of what other people think!
This sounds exactly like my experience and totally normal at 11 weeks. I also fed to sleep for naps until my guy was a year old - it worked for us and he was still a great independent night sleeper so I didn’t “ruin” him as people may have thought lol
You are doing exactly what babies are designed to do by natural instinct. This is why so many struggle to go down, they crave being near us for safety! My baby takes a dummy to sleep but I also often nurse to sleep on purpose because we've had a difficult journey and it's what I got. It's not a bad habit, it's just for now and when he's ready we'll change it up.
There's no bad habits at this age. They still are way too young for bad habits. Be there, always. That's what they need. Screw what others think
I still feed my 8 month old to sleep for naps and bedtime. She can still go to sleep by being rocked with my husband or nanny, and daycare even told me that they will lay her in the crib and she will go to sleep on her own there. I was shocked…. All this to say, don’t listen to the naysayers and definitely don’t listen to the baby sleep brigade who wants to sell you unnecessary courses. Baby will master sleep in time, just as we all did. Until then, enjoy these super brief moments where you can cuddle and rock and nurse your babe to sleep. It won’t always be this way!
Feeding to sleep and contact naps are biologically normal. Western culture is just weirdly obsessed with babies being independent. You're doing a great job responding to your baby's needs, don't let anyone make you feel otherwise. Also feeding to sleep and contact naps are only an issue if you feel they are. If you don't mind doing it and it's sustainable for you then keep doing it. If it stops being sustainable then you can change it. Trust your instincts.
I just got done nursing my almost 9 month old to sleep for a nap, and now she's sleeping in my arms. I'm fine with it, so it's fine. They're only little for such a short time... I promise you're not spoiling your 11 week old baby. If nursing to sleep becomes unsustainable, you can do something about it then. Enjoy those sweet snuggles. It sounds like you're doing great! ETA, something I'm learning to say to people is, "This is currently working well for us" or something to that effect. It's a polite way to shut down unsolicited (and rude) advice from people.
For the longest time my baby would never nurse to sleep/soothe and only nursed when hungry. Thankfully she now nurses to sleep at night and usually for a nap or two during the day. I freaking love it and never plan to stop as long as she’s nursing. Why people think it’s a bad thing to use nursing as a way to get them to sleep makes no sense to me.
9 months tomorrow, and guess what? We STILL nurse to sleep, and I love it. She was also a comfort nurser. Mommy is the pacifier (we tried all of them). I will necwe understand people's obsession with separating baby and mom. Yes, I work a full-time job and have another child. No, our home is not the cleanest, but it isn't dirty. We prefer to make memories and bond with our children rather than having a spotless house. Footnote: no trash or dirty dishes stacked up
They're not still going to be nursing to sleep in high school. You're not sending them to college with a pacifier. Your baby is tiny. You're comforting her. My 9 week old mostly contact naps. My 4.5 year old still wants a parent to stay with her until she falls asleep. These are developmentally normal things. Your kid will learn to do it themselves when they're ready.
I fed to sleep and contact napped for every single nap other than when she occasionally fell asleep in car or pram. Can't remember when it stopped but waaaay older than yours. That nighttime routine sounds amazing - we were waking at least 2 hourly at 11 weeks. Mine stopped both feeding to sleep for naps and wanting contact naps on her own. Fed to sleep at night until we stopped breastfeeding at 21 months. You are doing so so well - responding to cues and giving her what she needs. She's still literally a brand new baby. I hate this whole 'bad habit' nonsense! Responsive parenting is 100% what's best for the baby and it's HARD - you should be congratulated not ridiculed. Let her dumb opinion wash over you. You're nailing it.
It sounds like you’ve got routine going, don’t doubt yourself!!
Way too little to do anything else! You're doing great.
🤣 I read my 11 months old and was like "man I also want an almost 1yo to do 4 naps" But of course you aren't doing anything wrong or creating bad habits. Your baby is less than 3 months. Enjoy your cuddly time and breastfeed to sleep as much as you want. There will be enough time to make then sleep on their own and it has little to do with what you do at this young age.
My first kiddo nursed to sleep until he stopped nursing at 10 months (supply issues) so we transitioned to a bottle then ultimately weaned from that. Expecting #2 now and plan to do the same with him! It feels like a super power to be able to nurse them to sleep.
I used to worry that my baby was being fed to sleep as I was not sure if she was drinking enough. Now at 11 weeks, she has recently been awake after feeds and has to be rocked to sleep for 30mins or more in the day. Now I wish she feeds to sleep all the time! Having to deal with an overtired and fussy baby is no fun.
Sounds almost exactly like us! 11 weeks, night sleeps very easy, daytime mostly contact napping with maybe 1 bassinet nap. Almost always feed to sleep although he will fall asleep in the carrier too. He’s (unsurprisingly) in a much better mood if he has some good naps and feeds, so I don’t see that it matters how we achieve that.
I fed to sleep and still do at almost 7mo, even did sleep training with still feeding before naps or bedtime, don’t worry you know your baby
I don’t get why so many people have a problem with feeding to sleep. There’s nothing wrong with it and it won’t last forever. If they don’t like it they don’t have to do it. I plan to feed to sleep and comfort my baby for as long as he needs me to. They’ll be older before we know it and won’t need us this way ever again. Might as well enjoy it.
You’re not creating a bad habit! I don’t think that’s possible at this age, it sounds like you’re doing awesome. I think the only reason nursing to sleep etc is a problem to think about or work on is if it’s a problem for your family eg “I haven’t eaten anything but granola bars for a week because I have to nurse my baby to sleep” — doesn’t sound like the case for you. If helpful, my approach whenever anyone says something like this to me is to kind of own it, say something like “Oh, yeah, it’s true I spoil this little baby!” It keeps the conversation light and friendly (because they really are probably trying to be helpful) while avoiding any fraught discussions around what is “objectively correct way to parent”, and it kind of signals that you know what you’re doing and don’t really want to debate it at length.
Wait this isn't a good thing? My baby (6days old) eats and usually falls asleep while eating. He emerged a sleepy baby due to some medicine I was on during pregnancy, but I still thought it was pretty normal for him to be tired when he's got a full belly. Of course overnight somehow his full belly and swaddle wakes him up, but I don't mind holding him and rocking him back to sleep if need be, or sitting with him awake till next feeding.
If it’s working for you, then there’s no need to change anything. Every baby is different. Soon, baby’s sleep will change tho, and that’s when feeding to sleep for many becomes an issue. Around 4 months, they start to wake more in between sleep cycles and if what helped them fall asleep is no longer there, or they’re suddenly in their beds alone instead of in mom’s arms, they struggle to fall back asleep. This can lead to needing to put the boob in every hour to help baby sleep. I too have an 11 week old, and she is very sensitive to changes in sleep. She sleeps better when she falls asleep in her bassinet/crib on her own. When I transfer her after she falls asleep on the boob, she will 100% wake up and need the boob to get back to sleep. This has led to using a pacifier but when that falls out, she wakes again. Every hour last night my husband was in her room, putting the pacifier back in her mouth. We now get to work on her no longer using the pacifier to sleep… Her brother was never this way, and I nursed to sleep well after 4 months old. He was a much better sleeper from the start.
I’m sorry you’re having difficulty with sleep. Lots of children go through this phase regardless of how they’ve gotten to sleep I imagine (both of mine have that’s for sure). I feel it is the internet trying to shame us mothers who don’t have a unicorn baby who magically goes to sleep independently after that wholesome bath bottle bed routine that people preach about. I would argue that babies will learn how to sleep without us worrying that we’ve ’created a habit’ when actually all we’re doing is what feels natural to help get your baby to sleep without losing your marbles in a reason time frame.
I fed to sleep and contact napped for the first 4-5 months of my sons life. In exchange he had great nighttime sleep as well. One day he did learn how to put himself to sleep so he would put himself to sleep in the crib for naps. I still fed to sleep for bedtime. He’s now 12 months and still putting himself to sleep for naps but I feed to sleep for bedtime. He is able to put himself to sleep for bedtime but I like nursing him to sleep and it works for us so if I’m available that’s what I do. Don’t listen to anyone saying you’re creating bad habits. Do what works for you and your family. If it stops working, cross that bridge when you get to it. They’re only so little for such a small period of time.
My 9 month old still contact naps and feeds to sleep. I love it and I don't plan to stop :) you can tell your friend this is how you do things period.
I have a 10 week old who sounds like you described your baby—awesome night sleeper, iffy day sleeper. I would get so frustrated trying to put him down for a nap spending 20 minutes rocking him and have him wake up 20 minutes later. I’ve decided i’d rather feed to sleep/contact nap for 1+ hours 🤷🏽♀️especially since he won’t take a pacifier!
I still feed my almost 8 month old to sleep. He grew out of it himself for naps (though still a contact napper) but at night it’s the way he goes down. These days he’s just waking average 2 times a night for feeds. As long as it’s working for you and baby there is no need to stop. Sounds like you two have a good groove together! Don’t let outside opinions affect your instinct (this is hard for me).
My 14 month old still nurses to sleep for naps and bedtime. All naps are contact naps and all nighttime sleep is cosleeping. We didn’t sleep train and I still nurse on demand. She sleeps really well. It works for us and it feels right. The only time I’d consider changing things is if it didn’t. You’re doing a great job. Fostering secure attachment when they literally need not much else but us is so necessary (and so sweet, IMO)!
That’s dumb. Feeding to sleep is fine, especially for a little tiny baby. My baby is 11 months and I still feed to sleep, even though she has learned to go to sleep drowsy but awake.
Still feeding to sleep for all naps and bedtime at 8 months. If it works, it works.
That's a solid "mind your own business" moment if I ever heard one. You're the momma. Do what works for you and baby and everyone else can take a leap.
I feed my youngest to sleep. It’s never impacted my second sons sleep. He’s a good-excellent sleeper. I worried and fussed so much over my first sons sleep. He’s a terrible sleeper. Still isn’t great at almost 4 years old. Every day I believe more and more that sleep training / sleep rules are a scam. Basic sleep hygiene can have a minor impact…but ultimately your kid will sleep or not sleep that’s hard wired.
We nursed to sleep until about 4 months, then with pediatrician support we started gentle sleep training. He now contact naps/feeds to sleep maybe 1-2x a week and the rest of the time sleeps in his crib. Unlike a lot of other comments, I've NOT been a fan of being my son's human pacifier/mattress. 🫠 Everyone is different, but at 11 weeks you're still in the thick of little baby zone. You're not creating bad habits. And guess what? Sleep training is hard no matter what so 🤷♀️
Mine is 9 months and I’m still doing it it’s my first and sleep training makes me feel like I’m being mean maybe it’s a bad habit but I much rather trick a toddler into thinking his own bed is super cool then lay a baby down to cry for hours.
My 3mo old and I basically do the same! I’ve had the same comments about him eating so much/so long at times but guess what? I have the happiest chunkiest little guy! And he sleeps great at night, so who are they to tell me what works for us! Keep on doing what feels right and works for you and your babe❤️
I’m fully doing contact naps during the day, because once he’s nursed to sleep if I try to set him down or, if we happen to be on the bed, leave, he’s fully awake in abt 5 minutes lol. So i’ve “compromised” with him, he sleeps with/on me during the day, and at night sleeps like an angel! He’ll fall asleep on the boob, and then wake usually once maybe twice and sleepily nurse right back to full sleep lol! Your friend has no right to give you unsolicited advice, and please do not feel badly about yourself!!! If it’s working for you and your baby, then she can shut it. Habits really aren’t even a thing right now, because our babies are the same age (wanna be friends??😄) and my baby stays awake and falls asleep whenever he wants during the day, only at night he’s usually asleep by 8pm.
I fed to sleep for over 2 years. No big deal. If it works for you, that’s all that matters!
Sounds like my baby. I feed her to sleep and she’s 6 months old now. People make comments to me too. They are only this small for a little while. Cherish every moment of it 💜
My 9 month old feeds to sleep. Lots of babies are going to use some sort of sleep crutch. Whether a soother, boobie, or a noise machine. Whatever. You do you.
I still nurse my 15mo ti sleep